Positives vs. Negatives of this Year's Class

[incHOGnito]

Positives
1. Signed a 5* defensive end.
2. Signed the No. 1 RB out of Texas
3. Signed a LB that Saban wanted.
4. Got everyone that we wanted out of Arkansas.
5. Continued to build on success in LA
6. Continued to bring in FL kids
7. Seem to be making some inroads in GA
8. Signed what appears to be a very good LB class overall
9. January 22 Weekend

Negatives
1. Lost out on all of our high-profile targets on signing day (Porter/Cleveland/Fulton).
2. Putu's Flip
3. January 22 Weekend did not result in a single commit
4. Lack of OL Signees
5. Lack of CB Signees

I am trying not to let emotion get in the way and overreact.

An additional positive could be the addition of CKA.  He seems to have the personality to be a dynamic recruiter.

[Wildhog]

Very fair post.  Well done.

[scruf]

Positives
1. Signed a 5* defensive end.
2. Signed the No. 1 RB out of Texas
3. Signed a LB that Saban wanted.
4. Got everyone that we wanted out of Arkansas.
5. Continued to build on success in LA
6. Continued to bring in FL kids
7. Seem to be making some inroads in GA
8. Signed what appears to be a very good LB class overall
9. January 22 Weekend

Negatives
1. Lost out on all of our high-profile targets on signing day (Porter/Cleveland/Fulton).
2. Putu's Flip
3. January 22 Weekend did not result in a single commit
4. Lack of OL Signees
5. Lack of CB Signees

I am trying not to let emotion get in the way and overreact.

An additional positive could be the addition of CKA.  He seems to have the personality to be a dynamic recruiter.

Nice post. What if they aren't done adding players yet? What if some of the needs will be addressed after signing day?

[incHOGnito]

Nice post. What if they aren't done adding players yet? What if some of the needs will be addressed after signing day?

Fingers crossed!  We know that CBB won't stop turning over rocks, for sure.

[PonderinHog]

Walk-ons, don't forget the walk-ons...



  (Burlsworth)

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

You left out how few we signed. 
Didn't we only get 20 and two of those were kind of last minute--i hope both of these players have a lot of success but they were probably plan C recruits. 
I thought we were going to sign 25 this year?  There is something to be said about getting 5 extra SEC level recruits.  Hopefully we can pick up some this spring. 

[Smokehouse]

I think, on the whole, way more to like than dislike this year. Next year is going to be a make or break year in terms of OL recruiting; we'll hit the point where if we whiff on everyone we'll still need to sign guys just to have bodies, so hopefully we have a lot of success. No pressure, CKA. My gut says he can handle it but we'll need to see evidence quickly.

I think if the Hogs just cut out the mistakes in the Toledo game and one of A&M or MSU and got two extra wins this season, we maybe land one of the bigger fish everyone is upset about losing today. We'd have had a much higher profile bowl and a lot more positive coverage ending the season (Liberty Bowl ended up seeming like a dud in terms of marketing, I didn't see any media that wasn't Hog related talking about it after the day of). But it is what it is. Here's hoping the defense steps up, some of these guys + the guys who redshirted have a huge impact, and we don't spend a lot of time breaking in the new QB.

[incHOGnito]

You left out how few we signed. 
Didn't we only get 20 and two of those were kind of last minute--i hope both of these players have a lot of success but they were probably plan C recruits. 
I thought we were going to sign 25 this year?  There is something to be said about getting 5 extra SEC level recruits.  Hopefully we can pick up some this spring. 

That is the issue.  Signing 5 more this year would probably have meant taking 5 that weren't SEC level.  We could have made a run at Crockett late, but our coaches didn't feel he was an SEC level player.  I would rather sign less knowing that you have some opportunities with early enrollees next year and possible transfers, etc... than to sign 25 for the sake of signing 25.

[incHOGnito]

Another thing I have noticed is that CBB and staff seem to have no problem winning over the parents, guardians, aunts, uncles and other responsible adults in these kids lives (unless of course you are the one to remain nameless), but the responsibility angle is not necessarily selling the kids near as well.

While, I am very proud of the way that we recruit, I wonder what tactics we could try that maybe are not in contravention to our principles but also help with sealing the deal for a 17 or 18 year old.  I think CKA is one part of the solution.  He just seems to have that personality.  While Enos and Smith may be good coordinators, they don't have that "hip" vibe about them.

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

That is the issue.  Signing 5 more this year would probably have meant taking 5 that weren't SEC level.  We could have made a run at Crockett late, but our coaches didn't feel he was an SEC level player.  I would rather sign less knowing that you have some opportunities with early enrollees next year and possible transfers, etc... than to sign 25 for the sake of signing 25.

I just wish we could have taken some of the hundreds of hours chasing the Clevelands and Fultans of the world and spent it getting 5 more quality recruits.  I dislike how we undersign

[thebignasty]

I just wish we could have taken some of the hundreds of hours chasing the Clevelands and Fultans of the world and spent it getting 5 more quality recruits.  I dislike how we undersign

Not going to accuse you, but half the forum would be losing their minds over the staff pursuing plan bs and not beating the big dogs for players if we did this.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Defensive front 7 very strong.

Offensive skill players pretty strong, but not many.

OL and DB not good.

[thebignasty]

Positives
1. Signed a 5* defensive end.
2. Signed the No. 1 RB out of Texas
3. Signed a LB that Saban wanted.
4. Got everyone that we wanted out of Arkansas.
5. Continued to build on success in LA
6. Continued to bring in FL kids
7. Seem to be making some inroads in GA
8. Signed what appears to be a very good LB class overall
9. January 22 Weekend

Negatives
1. Lost out on all of our high-profile targets on signing day (Porter/Cleveland/Fulton).
2. Putu's Flip
3. January 22 Weekend did not result in a single commit
4. Lack of OL Signees
5. Lack of CB Signees

I am trying not to let emotion get in the way and overreact.

An additional positive could be the addition of CKA.  He seems to have the personality to be a dynamic recruiter.

Pretty fair.  Good assessment I think.

[HawgNthaWater]

not one single game has been played.....

We were thrilled about JoJo Robinson and the fan fair around him flipping from FSU... Dude was a busted joke. Let's wait until they hit the field to be flinging around positives and negatives.

[Hawghiggs]

 The only other negative that I see is the lack of recruits from Kansas, and Missouri. We must do a better job in those states.

[Love those Hogs]

LaFrance committed the weekend of Jan 22.  I know he's not the prospect(s) you were referring to but we did get a commit that weekend.  Except for OL and DB, I think we got a good class.  Maybe we look at Barry Sanders Jr now as a transfer??  Maybe Pettway gets a look at DB.  Lots of talented guys on the team and only 11 play at any one time.

[sylamore]

For solace after a sad day, if you have not seen it, go watch Whaley's highlight film. He runs over, through and around people with the occasional hurdle thrown in. He leaves a few guys on the ground crying like little girls, one seemingly knocked out cold on a goal line run. Then he has the audacity to make several leaping catches over a defender and a notable one handed catch at nearly full speed. After that, watch Marshal's highlight film. He is a wrecking ball.  watching them again made me feel much better about this class and about the Fall. Then, for desert, watch Hammonds' film as conclusively demonstrates that he has it all, after re-watching them I can't wait to see what these guys do. We will be Ok.

[longpig]

The only other negative that I see is the lack of recruits from Kansas, and Missouri. We must do a better job in those states.

Missouri and Kansas didn't have much to take this year, which is usual for them.  You'd think St. Louis and KC metros alone would have 8 or more every year.

[farmhawg]

#32, not so good overall. If this was a first year class maybe.....

[redeye]

I'm very happy with this class, honestly.  It's about what I expected and has the potential to be even better.  The signing day misses don't mean much to me, although losing Putu was a big, surprising disappointment.  I'm angry at Florida and South Carolina for "stealing" several recruits from us, although most all of those were recruits on the East Coast, so it's really not that surprising (still don't quite get it, though, and I never will, despite any attempts to explain it, so don't waste your time).

Having said all that, I find one thing very negative, although it's probably just more "telling" then anything else.  Arkansas finished the season strong with big victories over LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and demolished Texas last year.  Meanwhile, coaches at Texas, LSU and A&M all nearly lost their job.  Spurrier retired, Richt was fired, some think Malzahn is on the hot seat and rumors were swirling of Mullen leaving.  Two of the highest rated DL recruits in the nation lived outside of Arkansas, had deep Arkansas ties and we failed to sign either of them.

My point is that everything set up perfectly for Arkansas to have an outstanding class this year, but we finished around where we always do, although I'd say it was slightly better when ignoring the rankings.  I'm not naive enough to have expected a top-10 class, but with so much working in our favor, I thought we had an excellent chance of breaking into the top-20, again.  Louisiana produced an abundance of talent this year and Michael Smith's hard work finally showed signs of paying off big.  Recruiting is also beginning to pay off in Texas, where we grabbed the best RB in the state.  And yet, we still finish around 25th in the nation.

I don't put much value in recruiting rankings, but when considering all the benefits we've had this year, I sorta expected to finish a little better then usual.  I don't put as much value in season records as many do, either, but maybe if we'd beaten Toledo and Texas Tech, to finish with 10 wins, then we would have?  I still think we made great progress on recruiting trails this year, and hopefully it shows up in the future and on the field, but apparently it wasn't enough to show up in the rankings and I find that disappointing.

Post-NSD is the one time of the year I feel okay with venting over recruiting a little, so here it is.

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

I'm very happy with this class, honestly.  It's about what I expected and has the potential to be even better.  The signing day misses don't mean much to me, although losing Putu was a big, surprising disappointment.  I'm angry at Florida and South Carolina for "stealing" several recruits from us, although most all of those were recruits on the East Coast, so it's really not that surprising (still don't quite get it, though, and I never will, despite any attempts to explain it, so don't waste your time).

Having said all that, I find one thing very negative, although it's probably just more "telling" then anything else.  Arkansas finished the season strong with big victories over LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and demolished Texas last year.  Meanwhile, coaches at Texas, LSU and A&M all nearly lost their job.  Spurrier retired, Richt was fired, some think Malzahn is on the hot seat and rumors were swirling of Mullen leaving.  Two of the highest rated DL recruits in the nation lived outside of Arkansas, had deep Arkansas ties and we failed to sign either of them.

My point is that everything set up perfectly for Arkansas to have an outstanding class this year, but we finished around where we always do, although I'd say it was slightly better when ignoring the rankings.  I'm not naive enough to have expected a top-10 class, but with so much working in our favor, I thought we had an excellent chance of breaking into the top-20, again.  Louisiana produced an abundance of talent this year and Michael Smith's hard work finally showed signs of paying off big.  Recruiting is also beginning to pay off in Texas, where we grabbed the best RB in the state.  And yet, we still finish around 25th in the nation.

I don't put much value in recruiting rankings, but when considering all the benefits we've had this year, I sorta expected to finish a little better then usual.  I don't put as much value in season records as many do, either, but maybe if we'd beaten Toledo and Texas Tech, to finish with 10 wins, then we would have?  I still think we made great progress on recruiting trails this year, and hopefully it shows up in the future and on the field, but apparently it wasn't enough to show up in the rankings and I find that disappointing.

Post-NSD is the one time of the year I feel okay with venting over recruiting a little, so here it is.

Couldn't have said it better.  I really thought this year set up for us well other than having little instate talent. 
It's crazy that LSU actively tried to replace their coach a few months ago, but they still beat us out on 2 of our biggest recruits at high needs areas. 

[Hawghiggs]

Missouri and Kansas didn't have much to take this year, which is usual for them.  You'd think St. Louis and KC metros alone would have 8 or more every year.

They had enough for Clemson and Wisconsin. I get that those areas don't seem to produce. But we just cannot let talent wander off to other programs further away.

[wachhog]

Couldn't have said it better.  I really thought this year set up for us well other than having little instate talent. 
It's crazy that LSU actively tried to replace their coach a few months ago, but they still beat us out on 2 of our biggest recruits at high needs areas.

You just don't know kids very well.Most want to impress their friends  and especially other D1 prospects by signing with a big name school. We are not a big name school and, worse, we are not known for our new era style of play as is a Baylor or a TCU, which the kids wasn't to be a part of. I don't think location is the big problem.

[NLRHog92]

The only other negative that I see is the lack of recruits from Kansas, and Missouri. We must do a better job in those states.

Whut?¿ C'mon man...

[Hawghiggs]

Whut?¿ C'mon man...

talent is talent. And we need all the talent we can get.

[NinoHogUNIA]

You just don't know kids very well.Most want to impress their friends  and especially other D1 prospects by signing with a big name school. We are not a big name school and, worse, we are not known for our new era style of play as is a Baylor or a TCU, which the kids wasn't to be a part of. I don't think location is the big problem.

I know we love to think we are in a post racial America but that 88% to 6% as far as demographics doesnt work in our advantage not saying it hurts with all recruits but you are truly delusional if you don't think it hurts some.

[redeye]

Couldn't have said it better.  I really thought this year set up for us well other than having little instate talent. 
It's crazy that LSU actively tried to replace their coach a few months ago, but they still beat us out on 2 of our biggest recruits at high needs areas.

Yea and I forgot to mention how all those other schools I mentioned still had great classes.

Using the 247 Composite:

3. LSU - Almost fired Les Miles and had to deal with the uncertainty that he'll remain their head coach. Plus, lost to Arkansas at home.
6. Ole Miss - Nice season, but lost to Arkansas at home and dealing with NCAA investigation.
7. Georgia - Fired Richt and Smart continued working for Alabama, which you'd think would hamper recruiting efforts.
9. Auburn - Lost to Arkansas and dealt with rumors of Malzahn being on the hot seat.
11. Texas - Lost to Arkansas last year and almost fired Strong.
17. Baylor - Scandals surrounding Briles you'd think would cast uncertainty on his future.
18. Texas A&M - Almost fired Sumlin and has had a mass exodus of players.
25. Arkansas - About where we usually finish.
26. South Carolina - Lost Spurrier and then hired a head coach who'd failed at Florida and Auburn.
31. Mississippi State - Only included due to speculation that Mullen would leave for greener pastures.

All of these are schools we competed against while recruiting this class, and with the possible exception of MSU, I find it telling that little changed, despite all the problems these schools had this year.  If we'd had any of those problems, we all know it would have had a negative effect for Arkansas, so why does it seem to be a one-way street?

[redeye]

You just don't know kids very well.Most want to impress their friends  and especially other D1 prospects by signing with a big name school. We are not a big name school and, worse, we are not known for our new era style of play as is a Baylor or a TCU, which the kids wasn't to be a part of. I don't think location is the big problem.

So what you're saying is that Ole Miss is a big name school, but we are not, despite that we've been to 3 SEC Championship Games and Ole Miss has been to 0.  Yea, Ole Miss went to the Sugar Bowl this year, but we went 5 years back.  Ole Miss finished highly ranked, but not as high as we finished 4 years ago.  Ole Miss beat Alabama twice, while Arkansas beat LSU and Ole Miss twice.  Ole Miss has had more recent success, but it's nothing we haven't experienced in recent years, with the exception of their wins over Alabama.

What about Baylor?  Are they a big name school to you?

The funny thing is that I don't disagree with you, because I do think that's some of it with kids.  But why?  Including last year's bowl win over Texas, we're 5-2 over the past year against the "big name schools" that finished higher then us in recruiting rankings.  Think about that.

While I don't think that begins to explain it all, I agree that part of the problem is that people don't view Arkansas as a "big name school", so that's something that needs to change.  Many here will come up with excuses for why we're not already, but if a small Baptist school in Waco, Texas can be a "big name school", then so can Arkansas.  If Ole Miss can be a "big name school", then why not Arkansas?  Don't let other people determine your fate for you.

[Smokehouse]

Yea and I forgot to mention how all those other schools I mentioned still had great classes.

Using the 247 Composite:

3. LSU - Almost fired Les Miles and had to deal with the uncertainty that he'll remain their head coach. Plus, lost to Arkansas at home.
6. Ole Miss - Nice season, but lost to Arkansas at home and dealing with NCAA investigation.
7. Georgia - Fired Richt and Smart continued working for Alabama, which you'd think would hamper recruiting efforts.
9. Auburn - Lost to Arkansas and dealt with rumors of Malzahn being on the hot seat.
11. Texas - Lost to Arkansas last year and almost fired Strong.
17. Baylor - Scandals surrounding Briles you'd think would cast uncertainty on his future.
18. Texas A&M - Almost fired Sumlin and has had a mass exodus of players.
25. Arkansas - About where we usually finish.
26. South Carolina - Lost Spurrier and then hired a head coach who'd failed at Florida and Auburn.
31. Mississippi State - Only included due to speculation that Mullen would leave for greener pastures.

All of these are schools we competed against while recruiting this class, and with the possible exception of MSU, I find it telling that little changed, despite all the problems these schools had this year.  If we'd had any of those problems, we all know it would have had a negative effect for Arkansas, so why does it seem to be a one-way street?

Sometimes you can see someone making what is obviously a really bad decision, and know that decision's wrong, but at least see how they could have talked themselves into it.

But when it comes to USC-e hiring Muschamp, and then any offensive players having any interest in playing there, I'm completely baffled.

[Smokehouse]

You just don't know kids very well.Most want to impress their friends  and especially other D1 prospects by signing with a big name school. We are not a big name school and, worse, we are not known for our new era style of play as is a Baylor or a TCU, which the kids wasn't to be a part of. I don't think location is the big problem.

Location has to play a part of it. If kids want to make a huge splash then I could see WRs or QBs favoring the spread schools (although our offense this year should have opened their eyes) - but offensive lineman? Where else right now are you going to get the amount of attention an olinemen gets here? Hell, we might let you throw a TD!

A lot of these kids have parents who can't make it to a game if a school is outside of driving distance. You know that's got to be something the parents push before the final decision is made. Wish the NCAA would get rid of all the rules against paying for parent visits. And while I don't think location vs. location in terms of which place is a better place to live is that large a discrepancy if we actually get them up here to see NWA, there's probably a stereotype of Arkansas that makes some kids hesitant to make the visit in the first place. This staff is at least doing a better job than any we've had since we've been in the SEC of actually getting kids to visit. That could really change things over the next several seasons if it continues.

[HognitiveDissonance]

The only one that really disappointed me was Putu. We need cornerbacks and he had committed.
The others were not strong possibilities to me. So I wasn't disappointed when Cleveland, Fulton, and Porter went elsewhere. Nothing they had said or done indicated to me we were their #1 choice...only that we were in the Final 3 or 4.
This is a classic case of fans getting their hopes up too high and wishing for the best. It wasn't based on evidence.

Overall, this was a solid class and a very typical Arkansas class. Actually, it's not much different than any of the good classes Ark has had in the last 20 years. Several very good players, a solid core of good players, and a few others that may be underrated. Ranked #24 in the country. A very typical Arkansas class. That assessment probably won't go over too well with some here, but I'm not seeing anything terribly unusual about Bielema's recruiting. It's quite good actually, but it's just not that unusual for Arkansas recruiting history.

[redeye]

Location has to play a part of it. If kids want to make a huge splash then I could see WRs or QBs favoring the spread schools (although our offense this year should have opened their eyes) - but offensive lineman? Where else right now are you going to get the amount of attention an olinemen gets here? Hell, we might let you throw a TD!

A lot of these kids have parents who can't make it to a game if a school is outside of driving distance. You know that's got to be something the parents push before the final decision is made. Wish the NCAA would get rid of all the rules against paying for parent visits. And while I don't think location vs. location in terms of which place is a better place to live is that large a discrepancy if we actually get them up here to see NWA, there's probably a stereotype of Arkansas that makes some kids hesitant to make the visit in the first place. This staff is at least doing a better job than any we've had since we've been in the SEC of actually getting kids to visit. That could really change things over the next several seasons if it continues.

No doubt that location and the poor perception of Arkansas are two of our biggest hurdles.  Most all those above us don't have these problems.  But while there's not much we can do about the first one, I'd like to think the second one is at least manageable for recruiting.  It certainly isn't hampering Ole Miss or Baylor much.

[Boarcephus]

It's crazy that LSU actively tried to replace their coach a few months ago, but they still beat us out on 2 of our biggest recruits at high needs areas. 

And that my man epitomizes what we're up against.  That is the build-in advantage that several schools have that we may never see and is exactly the reason we need a coach who can coach up the talent he has until, if ever,  we have access to the talent these other schools routinely attract. 

[Hawghiggs]

Yea and I forgot to mention how all those other schools I mentioned still had great classes.

Using the 247 Composite:

3. LSU - Almost fired Les Miles and had to deal with the uncertainty that he'll remain their head coach. Plus, lost to Arkansas at home.
6. Ole Miss - Nice season, but lost to Arkansas at home and dealing with NCAA investigation.
7. Georgia - Fired Richt and Smart continued working for Alabama, which you'd think would hamper recruiting efforts.
9. Auburn - Lost to Arkansas and dealt with rumors of Malzahn being on the hot seat.
11. Texas - Lost to Arkansas last year and almost fired Strong.
17. Baylor - Scandals surrounding Briles you'd think would cast uncertainty on his future.
18. Texas A&M - Almost fired Sumlin and has had a mass exodus of players.
25. Arkansas - About where we usually finish.
26. South Carolina - Lost Spurrier and then hired a head coach who'd failed at Florida and Auburn.
31. Mississippi State - Only included due to speculation that Mullen would leave for greener pastures.

All of these are schools we competed against while recruiting this class, and with the possible exception of MSU, I find it telling that little changed, despite all the problems these schools had this year.  If we'd had any of those problems, we all know it would have had a negative effect for Arkansas, so why does it seem to be a one-way street?

IMO. It's where we are trying to recruit that is hurting us.  For the most part we have had no effect in Kansas, Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma. We will have to do a better job in those areas if we want to have a higher ranked class.

[immahog]

Yea and I forgot to mention how all those other schools I mentioned still had great classes.

Using the 247 Composite:

3. LSU - Almost fired Les Miles and had to deal with the uncertainty that he'll remain their head coach. Plus, lost to Arkansas at home.
6. Ole Miss - Nice season, but lost to Arkansas at home and dealing with NCAA investigation.
7. Georgia - Fired Richt and Smart continued working for Alabama, which you'd think would hamper recruiting efforts.
9. Auburn - Lost to Arkansas and dealt with rumors of Malzahn being on the hot seat.
11. Texas - Lost to Arkansas last year and almost fired Strong.
17. Baylor - Scandals surrounding Briles you'd think would cast uncertainty on his future.
18. Texas A&M - Almost fired Sumlin and has had a mass exodus of players.
25. Arkansas - About where we usually finish.
26. South Carolina - Lost Spurrier and then hired a head coach who'd failed at Florida and Auburn.
31. Mississippi State - Only included due to speculation that Mullen would leave for greener pastures.

All of these are schools we competed against while recruiting this class, and with the possible exception of MSU, I find it telling that little changed, despite all the problems these schools had this year.  If we'd had any of those problems, we all know it would have had a negative effect for Arkansas, so why does it seem to be a one-way street?

EVERY school in front of us has at least 10-15 kids they can offer in state.  Arkansas may have 3-4 period

[Boarcephus]

EVERY school in front of us has at least 10-15 kids they can offer in state.  Arkansas may have 3-4 period

10-15 won't touch the number of kids TX, LSU, UG, Auburn and Ole Miss have access to.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I love Coach B, but I have to say not signing a single CB in this class is FAIL, period.  I don't want to hear excuses.

I'm glad we got the guys we got, and have no problems with that group, but we had to sign a couple of solid CB's to develop for future needs.

This is not a good thing.

[Pork Twain]

Positives
1. Signed a 5* defensive end.
2. Signed the No. 1 RB out of Texas
3. Signed a LB that Saban wanted.
4. Got everyone that we wanted out of Arkansas.
5. Continued to build on success in LA
6. Continued to bring in FL kids
7. Seem to be making some inroads in GA
8. Signed what appears to be a very good LB class overall
9. January 22 Weekend

Negatives
1. Lost out on all of our high-profile targets on signing day (Porter/Cleveland/Fulton).
2. Putu's Flip
3. January 22 Weekend did not result in a single commit
4. Lack of OL Signees
5. Lack of CB Signees

I am trying not to let emotion get in the way and overreact.

An additional positive could be the addition of CKA.  He seems to have the personality to be a dynamic recruiter.

Good post but I think we still have a little work being done.

[DeltaBoy]

Coach is Happy and Richard Davenport is Happy so I as a fan will be Happy.

[Tim Harris]

I hated losing the kids that picked on NSD but overall it is good class and about what we normally do.  The only real disappointment I have was losing Pollard and Putu.

[hawg IQ]

Positives
1. Signed a 5* defensive end.
2. Signed the No. 1 RB out of Texas
3. Signed a LB that Saban wanted.
4. Got everyone that we wanted out of Arkansas.
5. Continued to build on success in LA
6. Continued to bring in FL kids
7. Seem to be making some inroads in GA
8. Signed what appears to be a very good LB class overall
9. January 22 Weekend

Negatives
1. Lost out on all of our high-profile targets on signing day (Porter/Cleveland/Fulton).
2. Putu's Flip
3. January 22 Weekend did not result in a single commit
4. Lack of OL Signees
5. Lack of CB Signees

I am trying not to let emotion get in the way and overreact.

An additional positive could be the addition of CKA.  He seems to have the personality to be a dynamic recruiter.

Yeah really the early January time frame was a flop. It seemed we got all of our solid picks before that. This is my take,,, the hot shots that our holding for the late January bidding wars are looking for something more than scholarships. Its the drama, money or something else ??  Beside if a kid is that confused or undecided, he's gonna be most likely a problem child.

I have never liked the fact Arkansas recruits to about 16-17 spots and leaves the rest open for the drama queens. Go ahead and fill as many as you can.

[incHOGnito]

Yea and I forgot to mention how all those other schools I mentioned still had great classes.

Using the 247 Composite:

3. LSU - Almost fired Les Miles and had to deal with the uncertainty that he'll remain their head coach. Plus, lost to Arkansas at home.
6. Ole Miss - Nice season, but lost to Arkansas at home and dealing with NCAA investigation.
7. Georgia - Fired Richt and Smart continued working for Alabama, which you'd think would hamper recruiting efforts.
9. Auburn - Lost to Arkansas and dealt with rumors of Malzahn being on the hot seat.
11. Texas - Lost to Arkansas last year and almost fired Strong.
17. Baylor - Scandals surrounding Briles you'd think would cast uncertainty on his future.
18. Texas A&M - Almost fired Sumlin and has had a mass exodus of players.
25. Arkansas - About where we usually finish.
26. South Carolina - Lost Spurrier and then hired a head coach who'd failed at Florida and Auburn.
31. Mississippi State - Only included due to speculation that Mullen would leave for greener pastures.

All of these are schools we competed against while recruiting this class, and with the possible exception of MSU, I find it telling that little changed, despite all the problems these schools had this year.  If we'd had any of those problems, we all know it would have had a negative effect for Arkansas, so why does it seem to be a one-way street?

I would say A&M definitely suffered in their recruiting this year, but the other points are valid. What it comes down to is that it appears brand means more than the relationship with the coach and right now our brand is not on par with those schools. Like a TCU, Oregon or Baylor, it will take several years of higher than expected on the field results to start changing that.

[Hogwild]

Couldn't have said it better.  I really thought this year set up for us well other than having little instate talent. 
It's crazy that LSU actively tried to replace their coach a few months ago, but they still beat us out on 2 of our biggest recruits at high needs areas.

That shows what we are up against, they nearly fire their coach then go out an get 19 members of ESPN's Top 300, that's the most all-time.

Even Miss. State had a solid class, they are the lowest in the rankings(SEC West) because they only signed 18 this year.  But their average ranking per signee is better then us and South Carolina.

[Jim Harris]

The only other negative that I see is the lack of recruits from Kansas, and Missouri. We must do a better job in those states.

I'm going to guess you are joking.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I have never liked the fact Arkansas recruits to about 16-17 spots and leaves the rest open for the drama queens. Go ahead and fill as many as you can.

Sound really simple, but the reality of what this staff is trying to do is a lot different from your fantasy.

[MJ2]

Coach is Happy and Richard Davenport is Happy so I as a fan will be Happy.

I hear ya, but I don't think it's likely that either one can step up to the microphone and say anything other than good remarks.

[XX]

Apparently I'm in the minority because I like this class and the direction of our recruiting.
I haven't forgotten the dumpster fire we dealt with for a few years and don't even wanna talk about the coaching carousel in college.

[Smokehouse]

No doubt that location and the poor perception of Arkansas are two of our biggest hurdles.  Most all those above us don't have these problems.  But while there's not much we can do about the first one, I'd like to think the second one is at least manageable for recruiting.  It certainly isn't hampering Ole Miss or Baylor much.

Baylor is the perfect storm. New coach comes in with a high-powered offense at a time when defenses in the Big 12 are about the worst they've ever been and then identifies a Heisman caliber QB in RGIII. If Whaley goes off for 2,500 yards and 35 TDs next season and wins the Heisman recruiting will pick up for us too.

Ole Miss... there's really only one explanation there.

I do think it's promising that this staff is getting more highly rated kids coming to campus, and how well they're winning over families. It sets us up to capitalize in the future if we pick up some serious momentum with a huge season or an exceptionally good in-state class, or something along those lines.

[redeye]

EVERY school in front of us has at least 10-15 kids they can offer in state.  Arkansas may have 3-4 period

Even so, don't you think there should have been some drop-off, considering all their problems?  In some cases, there was, like with A&M, but they still finished ahead of us.  Having more instate players certainly makes it easier when you're having problems, though.

If you look through the past rankings on rivals.com, Arkansas had a class ranked higher then Alabama's in one of the early years.  That's because Alabama was struggling back then.  I know there were years when we've had classes ranked higher then most of the schools currently ranked above us, but it's almost like that doesn't happen anymore.  Maybe they just didn't have enough bad things happen, but I'm still disappointed all those things didn't have a greater effect.

[redeye]

I hear ya, but I don't think it's likely that either one can step up to the microphone and say anything other than good remarks.

Despite all the "good fortune" we had this year, we've also had some bad luck on recruiting trails.  We lost Kellen Diesch to A&M, Putu to Florida, Pollard to South Carolina and there were several players we once thought were in the bag, but ended up signing elsewhere (e.g. Isiah Graham, Keir Thomas).  I'm sure our coaches are disappointed over losing some of these players, but we're still bringing in a lot of great players that they're probably very happy about.